Rugrats All Grown Up: The Baby Between Us
by Jacfu
Summary: Angelica has been disappointingly paired with Chuckie Finster to be parents of a doll for class for one week. Together they must learn to work together, possibly even get along, for the good of their baby and their grade.
1. Chapter 1

Rugrats All Grown Up

The Baby Between Us

The teacher stood at the front of the class lecturing. Angelica Pickles didn't know what about, because she wasn't really listening. That, however, was nothing unusual. She was barely passing this class, and she'd only taken this "Dynamics for Living" class because she had heard it was an easy A. It involved things like families, the five stages of grief, current events. Piece of cake, right? Well, maybe not so much.

Angelica's purple eyeshadowed eyes peered across the room. She frowned as she spotted some of the disappointments in humanity who also were placed in her class. It was open to all, so the junior high classes comingled, much to Angelica's dismay. It meant that she, a beautiful, mature and self sufficient teenager was forced to be in the company of immature, stupid preteens.

Susie was in the front row next to Angelica. Susie was okay. All right, she was perfect. Maybe, sometimes, Angelica could almost, sort of, possibly call her a friend. Well, she kind of had to get along with Susie anyway. Susie's parents were friends with Angelica's parents.

Then there was Phil. Angelica was positive that he took the class because he heard that cooking and/or eating was involved. She didn't honestly care enough to risk asking the little twerp and risk actually getting an answer. Phil's other half, Lillian, was not in the class. It was a rare moment those twins were not together. Angelica was glad she didn't have a twin. She didn't exactly like to share.

Angelica heard wheezing from the back. Ah, yes, Chuckie Finster. Finster was possible the most pathetic person in the classroom. She'd known Finster as long as anyone, since he and her cousin, Tommy Pickles, were best friends. She grumbled as she heard the wheeze again. She wanted to scream out for Chuckie to invest in some allergy medicine or some nasal strips, but her train of thought was interrupted by the teacher pulling out an ugly, repulsive doll.

"Now, I am going to partner you up. Each pair wil be responsible for one of these." The doll was hideous. It looked like it had been through more than several junior high classes.

"What? Pair up? What's that thing?" Angelica looked over to Susie who just sighed and shook her head. Angelica's eyes had widened in horror. That doll looked worse than her Cynthia doll, who was now hairless and missing limbs.

Susie explained. "You haven't been listening, have you?" But Susie honestly already knew the answer to that one. "It's the chapter on raising children. We are all going to be parents and we have to take care of the doll for a full week."

"You've got to be kidding me! I'm not ready for children? I haven't established my career, my way in this world? I have so much to do while I'm still young!"

"It's a doll, and it's a week." Susie reminded her.

The teacher explained, "Each doll has controls inside that will tell me how many times it's warning has been set off. From the moment it starts to cry, it will count how it it takes for you to soothe the crying. If you drop it, ignore it, not change it, then it will record it all. That will be what I base your grade upon."

An ugly baby to care for all week? One that she actually had to try to ease its crying? Angelica had spent most of her life trying to make babies cry. Could this get any worse?

"Now I will name off the couples. Susie Carmichael and Chad Wilson...Rachel Maddow and Derek Hyde..." Angelica grumbled as she saw that Susie had been paired with the cutest boy in the class. He was also the most popular. He played basketball and guitar. A jock with a rock star side. He was too perfect.

"...Charles Finster and Angelica Pickles."

"WHAT?" Angelica stood up from her desk as Chuckie then shrank down in his. Everyone's heads turned to Angelica, and then by default back to him, which just made his cheeks blush the same color as his hair. Angelica made fists and growled out. "This can't be happening! Finster cannot be the father of my baby! I demand a new partner. This is a conspiracy."

"All partners were picked at random. You have a week to finish your assignment and to write a paper about your experience. Here's your baby." The teacher said, completely unphased to Angelica's plight. Angelica hit her desk just as the bell rang. As the class piled out, each pair was given a doll.

Phil cooed at the plastic doll. "Aww, I think this one kinda looks like me."

Chuckie was the last to get out of his chair and walk to the front of the classroom. He picked up the doll, a pale looking, bald one. As he held it out, looking at it, Angelica grabbed it out of his hands. "Come on, Finster. Let's go."

"Angelica...maybe you should treat the doll a bit more nicely. It is our baby, you know."

She glared at him after those words and Chuckie gulped loudly. "Okay, coming."


	2. Chapter 2

The moment the pair left the classroom, Angelica thrust the doll at Chuckie and then walked away. Every time he tried to get ahold of her in the hallway, she would completely avoid him. When he tried to get her attention at lunch, she ignored him and moved to the other side of the table. By the end of school Chuckie had just about given up.

"Angelica is purposefully avoiding me and her parental responsiblities. We are supposed to parent together." Chuckie replied as he held the doll on his lap. It was still unclothed and wore just a diaper. Tommy looked at the doll and back to Chuckie. Then to the doll again.

"Well, she can't be a deadbeat mom. Both of your grades depends on her cooperation. We need to talk to her. To make her stand up and be the parent she should be." Tommy insisted.

"Or I could just ask for child support." Chuckie remarked in defeat.

"Chuckie, you can't just give up like that. Are you really going to give up on your son that way?" Tommy insisted as he crossed his arms.

"I think it's my daughter. She isn't anatomically correct."

Dil, Tommy's younger brother, then came up on his scooter. "Chuckie, I didn't know you played with dolls. This one is ugly."

Chuckie grumbled, "That's my daughter you are talking about."

Tommy then explained to his little brother, "Chuckie and Angelica have to take care of this doll for a week for their Dynamics for Living class."

"Oh, sorry. She's actually kind of cute. Hey, I think I see the resemblence." Dil said to Chuckie. "Have you named her yet?"

"No. Should I?" Chuckie picked up the doll and looked into its dark, plastic eyes. They were given a brown eyed one, but neither of them had brown eyes. The genetics was all off. "Hmmm...maybe one of us is a brown eye carrier. That would increase the chances of brown eyes in our offspring..."

Tommy asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Maybe we could name her...Izzy." Dil suggested.

"After your imaginary friend? How about no." Chuckie responded.

"Phillis? Bertha? Edith? Agnes?" As Dil kept on with a list of names, each more horrible than the last, Tommy soon spotted Angelica with her friend Savannah.

"There she is, Chuckie. You need to go talk to her." Tommy pushed Chuckie in Angelica's direction.

Chuckie sighed heavily and then approached the two with the baby in his arms. "An...Angelica. I know you don't like it. Trust me, I'm not thrilled about it myself, but if we want this grade we have to work together. We have to take care of our baby."

Angelica groaned and stepped forward. "First of all, Finster, stop calling it our baby. I will never have a child with you, most of all a plastic one! I don't really care about your grade. I'm sure that you will pull it off fine. After all, you have your dad to go to. He took care of you by himself all those years."

Chuckie's eyebrows narrowed. Angelica was being so callous, so cruel. She was willing to abandon the child, her grade, her future, just because things didn't go the way that she planned. Chuckie was afraid of Angelica, that much was known, but every once in awhile Chuckie could conquer his fears just long enough to do what was right.

"Angelica, is that the type of person you are? Are you the type of mom to just abandon a child because it doesn't fit in with your plans? Your lifestyle? Are you really going to leave this baby without a mother?" This hit home for Chuckie, for he knew what it was like to be without a mother, and was so grateful to now have Kira and Kimi in his life.

"Yep." Angelica said simply, as heartless as ever. She nodded her head in confirmation and then started to walk on with Savannah. Chuckie couldn't let that happen.

"If you fail this project then it will count for 25% of your grade and you'll have to repeat it in summer school!" He called out.

That made Angelica stop. The wheezing bonfire-headed twerp was right. She didn't want to repeat the class. Most of all, her mother would kill her if she repeated the class. She told Savannah to go on without her. It was with a pained expression that she turned back to Chuckie Finster. Ugh. Of all the preteens in the school, in the class, she had to be paired with him. A lady of her caliber would never procreate with such a...dweeb. This project meant that she'd have to spend time with him. Why did the world hate her so much?

"All right, Finster. You win." She crossed her arms and then looked at the doll, then back to him.

Chuckie smiled, realizing he actually won something against Angelica. It was giving him a false sense of bravado. He felt great, powerful, in control. "Well, first we have to..."

"Shut it, Finster. Don't you know that the Mom is always the boss?" She snagged the doll from Chuckie, which rattled it and it immediately started crying. "Oh no...great. Look what you did! How do I make it stop?" Angelica started shaking the doll.

" What I did? You...Angelica! No! You don't shake the baby!" Chuckie reached for the doll then, but Angelica still held it away.

She started to panic. "What do I do? How do I make it stop crying?"

"Um, feed it?"

"With what? My energy bar? It doesn't even have teeth!"

"Um, hold it and pat its back." Chuckie cried out over the screams of the plastic baby, which was getting louder. Some students nearby stopped to watch the two in their struggles as the plastic infant wailed.

Angelica did so and started hitting the baby's back. "It won't stop crying, Chuckie!"

"Well, dont' hit it! It's not a tetherball!"

Angelica patted it softly but it didn't stop crying. "It's not working! You suck at this, Chuckie."

"It didn't cry until you started abusing it."

"Oh now I'm an abusive mother?" Angelica was angry, but behind her eyes there was genuine hurt. "You don't know how hard it is to balance school, work, and motherhood. I have to do it all at once and I get no thanks for it. No gratitude whatsoever."

"Angelica, you've been a mother for five minutes!" Chuckie called out just to realize that he didn't need to yell anymore. The cries had stopped. Both Chuckie and Angelica blinked as they looked down at the doll against Angelica's shoulder, which was now making sleeping sounds in her arms. "Um, we did it. It stopped crying."

"Well, I always did have a maternal instinct." Angelica said proudly. Chuckie rolled his eyes, but Angelica didn't even notice. "You know, maybe this could be a piece of cake after all. You could learn a lot from me, Finster."

Chuckie grumbled again and his shoulders hung.

"Okay, I guess we are..." She winced as if in pain. "...parents. All right, we will do this project, but remember this, Finster. I'm in charge because I'm the mother. You will do as I say, see to my whims, and get me whatever I want because that's what fathers do."

"Actually, Angelica, I don't think..."

"You aren't supposed to think, Finster, just do. First on the to do list is to get this baby some clothes. Only the top designers, of course. No child of mine will be wearing off brands."

Chuckie slapped his hand to his freckled face and then said, "But she needs a name."

"A name? Well, it will be Angel. In honor of me, of course."

Chuckie slapped his other hand to his freckled face.

"I trust you will be at Java Lava, since that is where you always are. I'll come by then with a list of rules." With that, Angelica walked away with the baby hung over her shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

At the Java Lava, Chuckie told Kimi, Chazz, and Betty all about his assignment. He also told them that he was partnered with Angelica. Kimi took pity upon her older brother. Having to deal with Angelica every day was going to be torture. Kimi shook her head in sympathy as Chuckie mentioned that Angelica took the baby with her. "And she stole your child away from you. She is truly evil."

Chazz smiled, "Come on, kids. Angelica said she'd be here and so I am sure the project will go just fine. I can't believe that they have you doing this in school now. When I was in school you just had those black and white shorts before a movie that taught you that God would smite you if you had sinful thoughts during a date, and that good dental hygiene was the key to popularity." Chazz sighed and hung his head. "They were wrong."

Betty laughed. "I babysat from the time I was 9 until I got married. I took care of so many kids that by the time I had Lil and Phil, it was as easy as making smoothies." She then leaned down to one concoction in the blender and asked, "Hey, does this smell funny to you?" She sniffed it again and then shrugged. "Eh, Phil will drink it."

"What do you have for me?" On cue, the twins came in. Betty poured the smoothie into two glasses. Lil smelled it and set it down, but Phil drank both of them. "Mmmmm, limey." This got a look of disgust from his twin sister.

Tommy and Dil weren't far behind. "Hey, Chuckie, I saw that Angelica took the baby. Did you convince her to be a mom?"

Chuckie nodded solemnly. "Too well. Now she's a helicopter mom. Oh, and I think that I have to wait for the court to give me visitation rights."

Tommy frowned. "Harsh, Chuck-man."

"Oh yeah, I have a doll too." Phil said, reaching into his backpack to take his baby out. He then looked at it and said, "Coochy coochy coochy coo, Phillis Anne."

Dil beamed from behind Tommy. "See, I told you Phillis was a good name."

"Phillis?" Tommy asked as the whole group turned their head to Phil.

"It was a girl, so Phil Junior was out." He explained. He then put the baby on the table.

Lillian was horrified. "Philip! You do not lay babies on the table and you do not put them in your backpack! You are a father now, you must act with maturity!"

"Whatever, it's a doll. Anyway, I got paired with Tracy Livingstone. She's at her art club right now so I have the kid until she gets out. Little Phillis and I are enjoying the good things in life. Want some smoothie, Phillis?" Phil then dribbled part of what was left in his smoothie cup down the doll's face.

Chuckie leaned on the counter. "At least you got paired with a normal, rational, decent human being."

"Oh yeah, you got stuck with Angelica." Phil said. "Rough, Chuck."

Betty said then, "Maybe I'll get out some of you kids' baby clothes out of the attic. Put some clothes on that little whipper snapper. Then I'll show you how to really hold a baby. They way you are holding that baby, Phil, it's a wonder that you never dropped Dil on his head."

Then they all looked at each other, except Dill who was blissfully spinning around repeatedly in the stools at the counter.

The door would then open and in would come angelica pushing a very expensive looking baby stroller. She hummed as she did so. She had changed her clothing into a summer dress with a long hem. She also wore white gloves and white sandals as well as sunglasses upon her face. The doll was in the stroller with a newly purchased baby blanket upon her. She was also dressed to the T in an adorable newborn dress and matching baby shoes.

Betty grinned. "Oh no, you are making me feel baby fever all over again. I'm going to go in the back and count bananas." With that, she disappeared into the back. Chazz was soon right behind her, leaving the kids to themselves around the counter.

Kimi left her place behind the counter and then came around to the front of the stroller. She bent down and cooed at the toy in the stroller. "Hello my little bitty niecy wiecy!" She grinned and said, "Good thing you look like your daddy and not your mommy."

Angelica rolled her eyes and groaned. "Can it, Kimi."

But Kimi didn't let up. She took the doll out of the stroller and held it out. "Oh, my little doll niece. I will spoil you and let you eat candy and then send you home to your parents. I'll be the best aunt ever!" The doll then started to cry. Kimi thrust it back at Angelica. "Here, take back your kid."

Angelica grumbled and held out the doll. She screamed at it. "Why are you crying? I fed you! I pushed you around the stroller. What more do you want?"

Chuckie piped up, "Maybe she needs her diaper changed."

Angelica looked at him in horror. "The doll does that?"

Phil grinned. "Cool. I am going to feed mine beans and peas when I get home."

Lil grumbled. "Philip, never have children. You must promise me this."

Chuckie nodded. "If you listened to the teacher, which it's clear that you didn't, you'd know that the doll is designed to mimic everything a real baby does, and that includes expelling what you feed it."

Angelica groaned. "That's so gross." She thrust the doll at Chuckie. "Here you go. I am NOT changing baby diapers. No way, no how."

"But I don't have a diaper." Chuckie said as the doll kept screaming. "And I can't change diapers."

"Well, you aren't a very prepared parent, are you?"

"You took the baby away from me."

"And I'm giving her back. Happy? Just change the diaper, Finster!"

"I've got an extra, Chuck, my man." Phil replied, pulling out a diaper from his backpack.

Tommy chuckled. "Dude, you have a diaper bag."

"I've got an extra change of clothes, too. And a sippy." Phil said proudly as he held his doll upside down. Lil quickly corrected that. Phil gave Chuckie the new diaper and then Chuckie used it and thirty-six napkins in the container on the counter to clean the doll. Angelica had a horrified look upon her face as the diaper was opened up, and she had turned around so she didn't see the rest of the mess, or the fact that Chuckie put the diaper on backwards when he did figure it out.

Angelica responded "I've just lost my appetite." She then remembered why she came here in the first place and pulled a piece of paper from a pocket in the stroller. "Oh yeah, here are the rules." She placed the paper down on the counter.

Tommy was the one to pick it up and read it aloud. "Paternal parent will retrieve the baby at 7am so that Mom can have 'me' time before school. Paternal parent will keep the child until lunch hour, then release custody of child to the mother until after lunch. Paternal parent will then have the child until the last school bell which then...Angelica, you are making Chuckie do all the work!" He shot an angry glare at his older cousin.

Angelica was quick to come back with, "I am a working mother with lots to do. I have networking, meetings, extracurricular activities that demand my responsiblity. Chuckie's hobbies involve finding potatoes that look like presidents." She gave Chuckie a look of disdain. "Therefore, it's only logical that I would be the hardworking mother and that Chuckie would be the stay at home paternal parent."

"Paternal parent?" Chuckie voiced quizzically.

"I couldn't bring myself to say father. I just can't see it." Angelica commented. She then said, "And according to the agreement you have her until evening, whereas you drop her off at my house three nights out of the week. See, babies thrive on schedules." Angelica smiled, feeling pretty proud of herself. "Well, that's all. Later, Finster."

Then she left, leaving the newly clothed baby with Chuckie. "What am I supposed to do? I'm helping out my dad today and I didn't plan for this."

Tommy said, "Dont' worry, we'll help you out."

Kimi then took the baby from Chuckie. "Come to Auntie Kimi!" She danced around with the newly changed doll as her older brother sulked to Tommy.

"This list isn't going to work out. I mean, it's good to have a schedule, but she isn't taking into consideration at all the things I need to do. She has only the fun times and not the hard work. I carried that doll around all day today and it cried in every class. I had to try to quiet it down without all the other kids getting angry with me and disrupting the class."

"This surprises you how?" Tommy asked.

"It doesn't." Chuckie sighed in admittance.

"Well, like I said, we'll help you. This kid has a whole family. I guess that I'm it's cousin too." Tommy then looked to Kimi, who was singing nursery rhymes to the doll. "Or you could just give it to Kimi."


	4. Chapter 4

It was after midnight when the doorbell rang. Kimi was in her room playing her music so loud she couldn't hear it. Chazz and Kira were both sleeping. Chuckie had heard the doorbell, though, as it was pressed several times in a row. He raced to the door so that he could avoid waking up his parents. He'd been asleep himself, but he was so paranoid that every little sound woke him up anyway as he was always afraid that something in the night may happen while he was asleep.

Chuckie opened the door to find a bloodshot, tearstained Angelica behind it. She held the doll, Angel, to her side. Chuckie had dropped off the doll at Angelica's house as was the rules that Angelica had written herself, but now she found herself upon Chuckie's doorstep. The doll itself was crying, screaming in fact. Angelica's lip quivered. She was dressed in her pajamas and a robe.

Chuckie was a bit concerned. "Angelica...are you all right?"

"Chuckie..." Her voice came out as a whimper, a whine, through those quivering lips. "I've had two hours of sleep. Make it stop. Chuckie... Make. It. Stop."

"What about your mom and dad?" Chuckie asked. Surely Angelica's parents wouldn't have let her be in such misery. They also wouldn't let her walk all the way to Chuckie's house with a crying baby in her arms.

"My mom has her earplugs in. You know, because my dad snores. My dad could sleep through a nuclear apocalypse. You have to help me, Chuckie. This baby won't...stop...CRYING!"

"Okay, okay." Chuckie opened the door wider and stepped back to let Angelica inside. Angelica stepped in and immediately tossed the doll in Chuckie's direction. Chuckie quickly slammed the door shut so that he could catch the baby before it hit the floor.

Angelica collapsed on the couch. "What do we do? I'm going out of my mind!"

"Well, did you feed her, change her...?" Chuckie was trying to bounce the baby to make her stop crying. The cries was giving Chuckie anxiety as well. He could already feel himself shaking. When others were in distress, he always felt even worse. The screams rang in his ears.

So did the screams of Angelica. "I did ALL OF THAT!" She sat up as Chuckie tried to walk the living room floor with the hysterical infant doll. As he did so, Angelica pitied herself. "Maybe I just wasn't cut out for motherhood. That's okay, right? It would be wrong to deny the world the continuation of my perfect genes, but maybe I have a different calling. Maybe the world can only handle one Angelica Pickles."

"I concur with that." Chuckie muttered.

"You'd think they'd write a book about babies or something."

Chuckie's eyes widened and he paused. "They do! My dad has a million self help books. He has to have one that can help us!" Chuckie handed the baby back to Angelica carefully as he hurried to the bookshelf to read titles. Angelica plopped the baby on the couch and then walked over to skim book titles as well.

"Raising A Shy Child, Your Allergy Baby, How to Bond with Your Baby Boy, Educational Activities for Toddlers. Wow, Finster, I'm a little afraid of what I'm seeing." She remarked as Chuckie was pulling an armload of books from the shelf. "Your Redheaded Stepchild. I don't think that one is your dad's."

"Just take these books, Angelica. There has to be something in here we can use." Chuckie replied in annoyance at Angelica's comments. They both went back to the couch to flip pages frantically. With each passing minute the cries grew louder.

"Here!" Chuckie pointed at a paragraph. "It says that babies like vibrations, like when the dryer is on or the vacuum is running. Though, I don't really want to vacuum. It stirs up dust."

Angelica rolled her eyes. Could he be any more dweeby? "Great, we just stick the kid on a dryer." Angelica replied. "Do you have a seat for the baby?"

"Angelica, in case you haven't noticed, Kimi and I are both over 10."

She patted him upon his messed up red head and sighed. "Only in age, Finster. Only in age."

Chuckie glared at her, but didn't say anything back. Instead he just started looking for a seat. After some bickering in which they tried to find a suitable surface to place the tantrum throwing toy upon so they could turn on the dryer, they eventually decided to prop the pillows from the couch on either side of the baby. Chuckie then turned the dryer on. They stood there, watching, hoping that anything would happen. Finally, after about thirty seconds, the crying stopped.

They both held their breath. They then looked at each other. Angelica spoke first. "Do you hear that? That's the sweet sound of silence. We did it." She whispered, hoping that her voice would not wake the now sleeping plastic doll.

"We sure did." Then they both gave each other a high five in congratulations.

Angelica straightened up quickly when she realized she just high-fived Finster and meant it. "Oh, well, I could have figured it out myself, but seeing the time and the fact I was with the baby for so many hours..."

Finster's beady eyes narrowed and he frowned at her. "That's why you came all the way to my house crying? Remember, I saw you cry, Angelica."

Angelica grumbled. He did. And that meant that he could tell everyone that she actually went to him crying for help. Did she really just go crying to Finster for help? What was wrong with her? "Okay, Finster. You don't say a word about this night to anyone, and...we can rework the schedule and parent..." Again, the pain...the wincing. "...together."

Chuckie's frown then turned into a wide, cheesy grin. He'd won a victory against Angelica. Maybe she'd even be nice to him through the duration of the week. Nah, that was asking too much.

"But I'm still the main parent."

"Okay." Chuckie agreed.

"And I still need 'me' time in the mornings because it takes time to look as good as I do."

"I could come over early and watch her while you get ready." Chuckie offered. Angelica frowned. Having Finster at her house wasn't ideal. What if people thought she was actually hanging out with him? That would ruin her rep for sure. Still, it was probably the best set up.

"All right, Finster. It's a plan." Angelica was tired and she let out a yawn. It was 2 am now and both of them were exhausted from the sheer stress of attempting to soothe the baby's cries. "I'll see you in the morning then. You get her tonight. Keep the wrinkle free cycle going."

"Night, Angelica." Chuckie replied with a yawn. Despite the way that Angelica always treated him like dirt at worst and as a nuisance at her best, Chuckie couldn't help himself from being nice. He was just a nice guy. A paranoid and pessimistic guy, but still nice. "See you in the morning."

Angelica started to the door and then opened it. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that threatened to bring her into incoherency, but she said, "Thanks, Chuckie." Before Chuckie could respond from the shock of hearing Angelica actually be grateful for something he did, she'd shut the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Tommy, Dil, and Phil were standing at Tommy's locker right before school early the next morning. Phil had given his doll to its mother, Tracy, since it was her turn to take care of the baby. That meant that Phil had a much deserved break, but he wasn't enjoying it as much as he wanted to. "It's funny, you guys. I miss Phillis so much. Her little cries, the way that her food dribbles down her chin. I know I will get her back at gym, but I think about her all the time." Phil's voice cracked as he spoke and he sniffled as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Phil," Tommy replied, leaning against his locker. He held his binder and textbook against his chest. "Now you are really starting to worry me. I am not taking that class."

Dil replied, "Maybe the doll also has mind control. It could hypnotise you when you sleep."

"I never thought of that." Phil said tapping a finger to his chin. "That's creeping me out."

Tommy then asked, "Where's Chuckie? He's usually here before we are." Tommy stared at his watch, noting that Chuckie was ten minutes late for the all important hanging out by the locker. "I hope he didn't have too hard of a time with the doll last night. He seemed pretty stressed out." Tommy then shrugged, adding, "Well, more than usual."

"He's over there with Angelica." Dil pointed down the hall as Chuckie and Angelica made their way-together-down the crowded hallway. Chuckie was wearing a baby carrier with the baby perched inside it against his chest. Tommy, as well as Dil and Phil, stared open mouthed at the uncharacteristic scene.

"Correction-that's creeping me out." Phil responded.

The parental pair made their way to the small group and Angelica thrust her backpack at Tommy. "Hold this, Pickles." Tommy ended up dropping his own binder and books in order to catch and hang onto his cousin's backpack. He groaned as Angelica turned to Chuckie with her now empty arms open, announcing in a singsong voice, "Okay, I'm ready to take Angel."

Chuckie unsnapped the baby carrier and passed it, and the baby, over to Angelica. "Can I help you with that?" He volunteered.

"Sure, Finster."

Dil, Phil, and Tommy blinked all at the same time. Each one of them was silent. After Angelica positioned the baby carrier upon her, Chuckie helped her adjust the straps. Then she held out her hand, silently commanding Tommy to return her backpack. He did and then picked up his own books. Chuckie bent down to help him. Dil and Phil were still staring at Angelica, who was now holding a doll in a baby carrier to her person, speechless.

"Well, I'm off to class. See you at Math, Chuckie." She replied before humming as she walked away. The fading sound of her cooing at the baby was soon drowned by the conversations of the other junior high students.

Tommy, now with his own possessions once again, looked at his best friend. "I guess it is safe to say that you figured out things with Angelica."

Chuckie laughed awkwardly, which made his shoulders bounce up and down. He put his hands in his camo pants pockets. "Oh, yeah. This morning I stopped at Angelica's and we figured out a schedule that was a little more...how should I say...fair." Chuckie went on. "We also talked about parenting with Angelica's mom and dad at breakfast. I think I'm going to get a good grade after all." He said, now beaming.

"And just like that Angelica is being nice to you?" Tommy asked, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Well, kinda. As nice as Angelica is capable of being." Chuckie replied, his freckled face scrunching up. "But she only insulted me three times this morning. I'd call that progress."

Phil interjected, "She's got to have some kind of angle. Angelica just isn't nice. Not unless she wants something."

Chuckie remembered he wasn't supposed to mention about how Angelica came unglued at his house the night before so he just shrugged and said, "I don't know. Maybe she just is realizing that in order to raise a full functioning and well adjusted child, the parents have to be civil and cooperate for the sake of the child's future."

Tommy, Dil, and Phil thought on this and then in unison they shook their heads their disagreement. "No, Nuh uh. Not seeing it." Each one voiced right after the other.

"Or, yeah, she could be up to something." Chuckie rubbed the back of his head and gave another awkward chuckle. The bell rang and the group started off towards their first classes.

Susie, seeing Angelica, soon caught up to her. "Nice baby carrier. New?"

Angelica nodded. "Of course. This one is highly recommended. It got five stars for comfort, safety, and durability. I think she likes it." Angelica then asked, "Where's your charming offspring?" She grumbled, still remembering how jealous she was that Susie got the partner that Angelica would have preferred.

Susie knew this and liked to tease Angelica just a little bit. "Oh, it's going great. Chad is such a wonderful father. So attentive. In fact, he was playing Baby Mozart to her all night last night as she lay in her crib. Chad's little sister let him use her doll crib for her." Susie then asked, "How about Chuckie? How's he doing?"

Angelica wasn't about to let Susie one up her. Sure, Angelica hadn't been thrilled to have Finster as a partner parent, but after last night, maybe it would be tolerable...for a week, of course. "Chuckie is fantastic. A model parent. In fact, it was his idea to get the baby carrier, so that I wouldn't have to hold her every second. You see, our baby needs to be constantly held and we want to keep her close to us at all times so that she feels secure." She grinned a little too proudly for Susie to completely believe her.

"Glad to hear it, girlfriend. Good to know that Chuckie is pulling his weight. Also glad to see that you are coming around to this parenting thing. I was worried that your baby would need therapy."

Angelica's exaggerated bravado came through again. "What? I'm surprised you would think that, Susie. Why, I have motherly love coursing through my veins. Babies adore me." That was when Angelica accidentally smacked the baby at her front as she was going to dramatically place her hand to her chest as emphasis. The baby started crying and Angelica grumbled. "Oh come on. You gotta be kidding me."

Susie laughed. "I'll see ya later, girl." Susie left to go to class, leaving Angelica to take care of the crying infant in the carrier.


	6. Chapter 6

The first few periods went on as normal. Chuckie hadn't gotten as good a grade on his Math test as he would have liked, and Tommy had gotten even worse. Later they met up to talk at Phil's locker with the girls before heading off to their next class. They gathered again at Kimi's locker after that, having had the same routine the entire semester. Though, later, as Chuckie headed off to Dynamics for Living class, Susie caught up and walked with him.

"Hey, Chuckie." Susie greeted him as she matched his stride. Susie held her head up high, a stark contrast to Chuckie's slouching, sulking posture. "I heard that you have been doing great on the parenting project."

Chuckie looked genuinely confused. "Who told you that?"

Susie smiled knowingly. "Angelica."

"Ha ha." Chuckie chuckled. Then suddenly his face grew serious and he looked at Susie as if he were expecting her to play a joke upon him. "No, seriously, who said it?"

Susie stopped and crossed her arms. As she halted, Chuckie did too and turned to her, his arms protectively around his books. Susie elaborated. "I am being serious. Angelica had nothing but good things to say about you when I asked her how you were doing as her partner."

"Really?" Chuckie blinked. Alarms went off in his head. Whistles blew. Chuckie began to sweat with nervousness. "Why? What does she want?"

"I'm just as curious as you are, Chuckie." Susie admitted to him. She offered him a comforting smile. "It isn't like Angelica to give praise without an ulterior motive. If I find out anything, you'll be the first to know." She slapped him on the back, which made him lurch forward. "I got your back."

"Thanks. Susie."

They both entered the classroom door and Chuckie took his seat in the back. Susie took hers as well, putting down her things, before going over to where her partner, Chad, had the baby. She took it from him in its swaddled blanket and laid it in her lap once she sat at her own chair once again. Soon after, Angelica came in with Angel in the baby carrier. Phil came in with Phillis Anne, and Tracy. Soon, most of the class had arrived and more than half of them had their project progenies with them.

A yawn would erupt every once in awhile. Not everyone was doing so well with the project. Students looked tired from lack of sleep. It appeared that at least one of them had spit up on their clothing that had stained. A baby started crying and an audible groan was heard as the parents rose to take care of it. Chuckie wasn't paying close attention though. He had his sights on Angelica.

What was her game, Chuckie wondered. Was she being nice so that she could do something really embarrassing to him later when he least expected it? Was she just saying those things to Susie because Susie had the partner Angelica had wanted and wanted to make her jealous? Still, even so, it didn't explain why she'd been decent to him all morning.

Class was constantly interrupted by feedings, diaper changes, and crying. It got on everyone's nerves, especially Angelica's, who was about to banish all of them to some kind of doll daycare. "The childcare around here is horrible." She was glad, though, that the entire class hour, Angel didn't cry even once, which made her look like a superior mother in comparison. She hoped that the teacher was taking note of that. She could use it to bump her grade.

After class, Chuckie offered to take Angel again. "Oh thank god. You are a lifesaver, Chuckie." Angelica huffed her relief as she gave up the baby carrier. Lugging that lumbering little one around was hurting her back. It was also cumbersome since she had her backpack and other things to carry too. Twice she'd had to put down everything to deal with the doll. Once its cries even prevented her from hearing some juicy gossip. Therefore, Chuckie's relieving her of her mother duties was so welcomed that she didn't even have the energy to say something wittily insulting.

Chuckie noticed this. Susie's words rang in his head. It was true, Angelica never was nice without an ulterior motive, and she was being really nice. That meant she must really have something awful planned! Now he was really scared. Angelica, self centered as she was, didn't notice the look of fear upon Chuckie's face when she said, "Meet me in the courtyard after lunch and I'll take her back. Oh, my back feels so much better. Having kids is a pain." She walked away, rubbing her neck, oblivious to the shaking of Chuckie's knees.

Tommy walked by as Angelica left. "Hey, Chuckie." He did notice Chuckie shaking and a frown formed on his face. "What's wrong?"

Chuckie's knees stopped shaking long enough for Chuckie to turn to his best friend. "Angelica is being nice to me."

"Yeah, terrifying." Tommy shook his head slowly and sarcastically.

"You don't understand. Angelica is never nice, and especially not to me."

"Oh, I do understand. She's my cousin, remember? Maybe she's just saving it up."

"That's what' I'm afraid of. Susie is even suspicious. She said that Angelica had nothing but good things to say about me. She wasn't forced to say it or anything." Chuckie clutched the doll, who miraculously wasn't crying.

Tommy frowned. "You are right. Angelica has been torturing us since we were in diapers."

"I was potty trained." Chuckie interjected.

"Whatever. A really long time. Anyway, whenever she was nice it was either because she was showing off for our parents, lying to us, or trying to get us to do what she wanted. We just have to figure out which one it is." He looked upwards and tapped his chin.

Chuckie looked downwards to think. "Well, she's being nice even when there are no adults or popular kids around, so she's not showing off. I'm already doing what she wants, so she doesn't really have to continue being nice."

Tommy nodded to his buddy. "Then by process of elimination she's lying about something! We just have to find out what. I'll get the rest of the guys together after school."

"I'm supposed to meet Angelica after school."

Tommy put his hand on Chuckie's shoulder. "The mother of your child will just have to wait."

Later, the whole group was outside in the courtyard. Chuckie was minus the baby, as he'd given the doll back at lunch. Angelica had been decent too him then too, not commanding or anything. As he told the group about it, they all looked at each other around the round table in disbelief.

"You are right. Just hearing about it makes me feel a little weird." Lillian commented. She was the one holding Phil's doll in her lap.

Phil leaned on the table. "It's true, I saw it. No weird glares or anything. She did freak out at lunch when someone sat in her spot at the popular kids table. She insisted that mothers always get to choose where to sit first. Nothing against Chuckie though."

Dil said, "Maybe she's not Angelica anymore. Maybe it's a doppleganger that has stolen the real Angelica in the night and replaced her with a lookalike."

Lil remarked, "It can keep her."

Kimi then piped up. "Maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, Angelica isn't always so bad. Sure, she was really mean to us when we were little, but she has gotten better as we all get older. Remember how sweet she was to the baby ostrich when we went to the ranch?"

"She named it Reject." Phil reminded her.

"Well, yeah, but she also saved it a few times, and was really broken up when she gave it up. Angelica can be a good person deep within. Really really deep deep deep deep deep within. I mean deep. Right in there."

"Kimi's right." Chuckie replied in agreement, making Kimi smile. "Even her bossiness and loudness has helped us once in awhile. Maybe I'm just being paranoid for nothing."

"Tommy nodded. "You are right. We are probably being paranoid for nothing. We'll just let the week go by. The project will be over. Everything will go back to normal."

"Just in case though," Chuckie replied, "we should still keep an eye on her."

"You coming over tonight, Chuck? My mom let me get the new game, Reptar in Space." Tommy said, changing the subject.

"Really? Sweet. I'll be there!" Chuckie's enthusiasm then waned. "But I'll have Angel with me."

"That's okay. Bring her along. Maybe we'll make Dil babysit." Tommy then shot a glance to his brother.

Dil commented, "She'll never come back the same."

It was then that Angelica's voice could her heard across the courtyard. "Finster!"

Chuckie's immediate reaction was to stiffen his shoulders as he looked in that direction. Angelica was waving him over. "I'll see ya later, Tommy, Kimi, Phil, Lil, Dil." Chuckie said his goodbyes before walking over to where Angelica stood.

Tommy and Dil both prepared to head to their house. "Reptar in Space. I won't start without ya."

"I'll see you at home, Brother." Kimi said her farewell then.

"Later, Chuckman. Don't let the woman bring you down." Phil replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lil asked before jabbing her twin in the arm with her fist. She was rewarded with a satisfying yelp of pain.

"I didn't mean you. You aren't a woman." Phil defended himself, only to get another jab and an even angrier, "Now what's THAT supposed to mean?"

Chuckie walked over to the stroller where Angelica had the baby. She didn't take it out right away and instead said, "Angel has been so good for me today. Well, there was that incident where she almost spit up on my new shoes, but I averted it with Harold's head." As she went on about the day, Chuckie looked more and more anxious. He repeated to himself a mantra: I will not be paranoid. I will not be paranoid. I will not be paranoid.

It didn't work. Mantras sucked. He was still paranoid. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Angelica...I need you to insult me." Chuckie finally proclaimed.

"Say what?" Angelica asked, her eyes narrowing. She crossed her arms in front of her. "I am not going to insult you, Finster."

"Why not?"

"Because you want me to, for starters." She answered, rolling her eyes. "What is with you?"

Chuckie then let it all out. "Insult me. Make fun of my clothes, my hair, my braces. Call me a coward. Something!"

Angelica's expression was more annoyed than anything, but she did rise to the bait. "Charles Finster, Jr, you are being crazier than usual. I can't believe our child has half your chromosomes. I plan on telling her that she's adopted."

That was enough for Chuckie. He sank to sit on the concrete sidewalk. "Ah, equilibrium has been restored."

"Now would you mind explaining to me why you are freaking out on me and demanding abuse? You are a masochist, Finster. You should get that looked into." Angelica sighed heavily. "I'm not even sure I want to drop Angel off with you. You are entirely too unstable." She then busied herself with adjusting the cute cardigan that she dressed the doll in today.

"Why have you been so nice?" Chuckie then asked outright.

She then gave him an evil glare. "Are you saying I'm not nice?"

"No, I'm not saying that...I mean..." Chuckie knew that any answer would not be a good one so he simply didn't finish the sentence.

Angelica did for him. "That's what you are saying-that I'm not nice. That's not true, I can be very nice. Just only to the people who really deserve it."

"Then you are saying that I deserve it?" Chuckie asked from his seat still upon the sidewalk. One may think that it was strange to have a conversation while sitting on the sidewalk looking up to a teen with a baby doll in the stroller, but it was Chuckie so it really wasn't that out of character at all. He'd done weirder things.

"Don't get carried away here, Finster. It's not like we are friends. Don't go thinking that just because I am not going out of my way to insult you for one week that I like you, or something."

"No, of course. Wouldn't want to think that." Chuckie muttered to himself.

"Because I don't like you." Angelica continued on, not even hearing Chuckie's mutter. "You are pitiful, cowardly, and you dress like you are homeless. You do weird things like play that stupid You Gotta Go game and dumb video games with my immature cousin. Not to mention that you really need to live in a bubble, because no one is as sick as you."

"Okay, we've reached equilibrium already!" Chuckie called out.

"But you know what I really hate about you?"

"Um, no, but I have a feeling you are going to tell me." Chuckie was now really wishing that he'd just left it well enough alone.

"Remember when I had that project? The one where I was to use my talents to make you into one of the cool kids? I got an A on that project, by the way."

"Ah yes." Chuckie answered, deadpan. His voice dripped with sarcasm. "A cherished memory."

"Despite you're sloppy, wheezing, slouching, dweeby, and hunched over...you...you got to the cool table in three days. Three days! It took me weeks to get a seat over there and Chuckie Finster managed to do it in three days. The worst part was that you didn't really change. You were still a dork! Then, you just turned it all away. You turned it all away to continue to be..." she waved her hands at him. "this!"

"I'm not following." Chuckie admitted.

She then pulled him up by the bowling shirt that he wore over his tshirt bunched in her fist. Angelica was always surprisingly strong. She then poked him in the chest with her free hand. "You have such coolness, such bravery, such genius buried deep in that scrawny, pathetic body of yours and you don't even know it! Worse, it's the fact that you don't even know it that makes me hate you and admire you at the same time."

Chuckie blinked. "Hold it...did you just say...?"

"Shut it, Finster!"

"Yes, ma'am."

Angelica let him go then, and he stumbled until he fell to the sidewalk again. Angelica turned around, realizing what she'd said. What she'd admitted. Why did that even come out? Quickly, she put on her game face as if nothing had happened. She turned back to him as he sat stunned on the sidewalk. "It's your night to keep her overnight. I'll then meet you at the doors before first period to take her." She left him the stroller and a diaper bag full of supplies. She then simply turned around and walked away.

Chuckie could only look after her. Then he looked at the doll. "What just happened here?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chuckie Finster sprang open the Pickles' front door and ran inside. He immediately saw Tommy sitting on the couch in front of the television with a controller in his hand. The television was on. Chuckie then ran to the couch, leaving the door wide open, and leaned forward with his hands on the back of the couch. "It's worse than we thought!"

"I hear ya." Tommy replied. "My memory is full. I'm going to have to erase some data if we want to play. Do I want to erase Final Fiasco 12? I got such a good score on that one. We beat it, though, and they have 17 out already."

"No, I'm not talking about the game." Chuckie shook his head. Then he added, "Though I agree that was a classic."

"I know, I'll get rid of our rock star 4 game. We can make a new band later."

"I really liked our band name though." Chuckie realized he was getting distracted and he came around the couch to sit beside his best friend. "Tommy, Angelica thoroughly and completely freaked me out today. I will never be the same again. I am forever changed."

"Don't worry, Chuckie. Angelica thrives on getting your goat. It'll pass."

"Did someone mention goats?" Dil popped his head in from around the corner and then, disappointed at not seeing any goats, popped right back out again.

Tommy clearly didn't understand and so Chuckie knew he had to tell him. Chuckie looked at Tommy and just blurted it out. "Angelica said she admired me today."

Tommy dropped the controller on the ground. "What?"

Chuckie nodded. "She also said she hated me, but that wasn't the part that freaked me out."

"Why did she say that?"

"I don't know. It was some long speech about what all is wrong with me. Then it turned around to what she liked about me, which was kind of the same things, but not. It was really confusing." Chuckie scratched his head. "And totally not normal. I feel like I am in a mirror universe." Chuckie then rubbed his chin. "Am I growing a goatee? I think I feel a whisker."

"You have to tell me everything. Don't leave out a single detail." Tommy insisted. Chuckie relayed the whole story while Tommy erased enough memory so that they could play Reptar in Space. Once that was ready, Tommy handed a controller over to Chuckie. Chuckie stopped relaying his story long enough so that each of the boys could enjoy the fantastic introduction and graphics of the game. Then he continued on. "And that's when she left Angel with me and...oh no! I left her outside!"

"Got it, Chuck man." Dil came into the house pushing the baby stroller.

"Thanks, Dil." Chuckie said.

Tommy blinked. "Dil, weren't you over...never mind."

As Dil disappeared with the doll and stroller into the kitchen, Tommy and Chuckie's heads went back to the game. "She's right, you know." Tommy replied. "You are all those things and you just don't know it. I know it. I've always known, Chuckie. When the going gets tough, I know that I can always count on you. That means if I die on here, you'll have to revive me."

"Only if you don't hog all the ammunition." Chuckie answered. "Thanks, Buddy. I appreciate it. I don't agree, but I appreciate it."

"Of course you don't agree. I wouldn't expect anything less." Tommy grinned then. "Okay, the story is starting."

"Don't go too fast! I want to read all of the flavor text." He interrupted. Tommy grumbled. He was glad that Chuckie had stopped freaking and was playing the game with him, but even Tommy was a bit unnerved about Angelica. In fact, Tommy thought that he'd have a word with Angelica himself.

"Hey, Chuck, do you mind if I take your baby to Angelica's in the morning for you?"

"Why would you want to do that?" Chuckie asked him.

"Because I want to talk to my cousin myself." He said. He couldn't let this go. As Chuckie would always be there for him, he'd always be there for his best friend. Even if it meant taking on Angelica.

The next morning when the doorbell rang Drew Pickles opened the door. "Tommy, hi. Come on in." He replied, totally unassuming. Tommy was holding the doll in his arms and stepped in as the door opened for him.

"Thank,s Uncle Drew." Tommy replied. Angelica's mother was on the phone, but Angelica wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Angelica is upstairs getting ready. Oh, Tommy, are you in the Dynamics For Living class too?"

Tommy looked down at the doll. "Oh, no. This is Chuckie and Angelica's doll. I'm just dropping it off for Chuckie."

"Is he okay? He has been doing it all week."

"Oh, he's fine. I just thought I'd give him a break is all." Tommy replied to his uncle.

Angelica then came downstairs. "Good morning, Daddy." She then saw Tommy. "Pickles! What are you doing here and what have you done to my baby?" She snatched the child right out of Tommy's arms and snuggled it. "Oh my little angel wangel. It's okay, Mommy is here now." She then glared at her cousin. "Where's Finster?"

"Funny you should mention him, Angelica, because that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." Tommy replied.

"There's nothing to discuss."

"How about that you admire him? Is that worth discussing?" Tommy raised a brow and had a smug smile. Angelica grumbled and then pulled him with her into the living room so that her father couldn't overhear.

She pushed him down to the couch. "What did that little dweeb tell you?"

"Just everything you told him yesterday." Tommy put his hands on his hips and glared at his cousin. "What game are you playing, Angelica? What are you trying to prove? I don't want you messing with my friend's head. Chuckie is a complete wreck."

"And this is different from how he normally is how?" Angelica smirked in Tommy's direction.

"Angelica, I mean it. I don't want you telling Chuckie things that you are not sincere about."

Angelica then smiled. Tommy had heard from Chuckie what she had said, but not he, or Finster, believed her. That meant that she could deny everything and not ruin her reputation or her self worth. She batted her eyes at Tommy. "Why, Thomas Pickles...are you trying to tell me that you don't believe me when I sing dear Chuckie's praises?" That would cement it in that she wasn't serious at all about any admiration, no matter now small, for Chuckie Finster.

"You've been bullying him since we were in diapers."

"I was potty trained." Angelica insisted.

"Whatever." Tommy shook his head, feeling de ja vu just then. "You have nothing to gain over it. When is it going to stop? You can't insult someone and then compliment them in the same sentence! Chuckie is twelve, do you know what that does to a guy?" Tommy glared. "I bet you do, but it doesn't mean that it's right. So stop it, Angelica. Just stop it."

"Pickles, first of all, how dare you come here and demand anything in my own house. Secondly, you've upset the baby." Angelica held out a now crying Angel. "Thirdly, I'll tell Finster what I want, when I want, how I want. I don't care if it's the truth, a lie, or a recipe for coconut macaroons. What happens between my baby's father and myself is none of your business!"

"It is when the father is my best friend!" Tommy insisted. Though he noticed himself the words that Angelica was using. Before she had been referring to him as the parternal parent. Now Chuckie was the baby's father. "Wait a minute...you were sincere about that, weren't you?"

"You are insane. Get out of here, Pickles. I can't wait until this project is over. Then I can get you and Finster out of my hair. Who knew that babies caused so much drama? Don't answer that. It was theoretical."

"Rhetorical, you mean."

"Whatever! Just go!" Angelica pointed towards the door. Tommy gave one last angry look to her before he realized that it was a stalemate. He'd get nothing more from Angelica. He just hoped that Chuckie could survive the rest of the week.


	8. Chapter 8

Tommy sat in the courtyard before school thinking about his conversation with Angelica. He rested his chin on a hand and let out a long breath. He didn't know what to think, or what he should do about it. He had no proof, but he had his suspicions-Angelica liked Chuckie. He didn't know how or even what it meant, he just knew that Angelica didn't hate Chuckie like she claimed she did. Why she didn't just embrace it and become Chuckie's friend, Tommy also didn't know. Wrong, he did know. Angelica was concerned about appearances, something that Tommy never cared about. Though, it wasn't as if Angelica was as loved as she claimed to be. He just didn't understand his cousin at all.

"So how'd it go?" Tommy was interrupted from his thoughts by Chuckie, who sat down beside him at the round, stone table.

"As expected. She threw me out of her house." Tommy answered.

"Did you find out anything?"

"Just that she can say or do whatever she wants and there's no stopping her."

"So she's normal." Chuckie commented, a smile appearing on his freckled face.

That brought a smile out of Tommy. He looked at his spectacled best friend. A part of him wanted to tell Chuckie about his suspicions. Though, as Tommy looked at his best friend since he was born he knew that telling Chuckie wouldn't gain him anything. Angelica would still ignore Chuckie in the halls, degrade him for speaking to her, and only be nice if she wanted something. On the other hand...no, no there was no upside. "Yeah, she's normal. She is just messing with you because it entertains her."

Chuckie let out a sigh of relief. "Good. At least it's good to know there's consistency. I like consistency. No surprises."

"I know you do, my friend." Tommy nodded his head. He knew then he made the right choice by not telling Chuckie. "So only a few days left of the project, huh?"

Chuckie nodded as he set his backpack down on the table. "Tomorrow is our last day. We also have to write a paper about our experiences and what we learned about parenting. Friday we turn the paper and the babies in."

That was when Dil came over with Kimi, Phil, and Lil. "Turn her in? Aw, I was just getting used to her." Dil hung his head sadly.

Kimi sniffled, "And I was liking the idea of being an aunt." She sighed and put her head on Lil's shoulder. Lil patted her friend comfortingly on the back.

"I told my dad today that taking care of a baby by yourself is really hard and that I was amazed that he did it by himself so well after mom died. Then he gave me a big hug. I think he cried." Chuckie then let out a little sigh. "I'm gonna miss the little tyke. I think that we really bonded."

"I hear ya, Chuckman." Phil then sobbed, holding his baby. "I'm really gonna miss you, Phillis Anne!" Lil patted him on the back with her other hand.

Tommy jabbed Chuckie in the side with his elbow and gave him a wink. "I'll buy you one for Christmas."

"Don't even think about it." Chuckie responded. He then switched the subject. "You know, when Angelica isn't being a she-devil, she's actually not too bad."

"Now I've heard everything." Phil replied. He still held his own doll in his arms, the sobbing subsiding now. "and I'll take one for Christmas."

Tommy added, "I think there's something to your mirror universe idea. Am I growing a goatee?" Tommy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Nope, still smooth as Dil's stomach."

"The secret is olive oil." Dil replied, lifting his shirt to rub his stomach.

"Ooh, I gotta try that." Lil commented.

Chuckie went on. "All of the studies and data indicate that once a couple have children the quality of their relationship declines rapidly, reaching a new low which only rises again once the children have grown and move away. However, since having Angel, Angelica and I have gotten along better. It goes against all the data."

"I don't know what scares me more, the data or the image of you and Angelica in a relationship." Kimi replied, rolling her eyes at the very thought.

"Purely for the sake of the children, Kimi." Chuckie pointed out.

Angelica Pickles lay in her room after Tommy Pickles had left. She lay on her back upon the plush bed, staring at the ceiling. In one hand she held her childhood treasure, a matted-haired, well played with Cynthia doll. "Cynthia, why did I say that? What is wrong with me? I blame lack of sleep and that stupid doll! Not you, Cynthia. You are a rare collectible treasure."

Angelica covered her eyes with her free arm. "I can't like Chuckie Finster. He's the symbol of everything that is dorky and pathetic. He reads comic books, and only has two pairs of shoes. He has only one nostril that really works. There's not a lot to work with there."

Angelica grumbled and sat up. "Why do I even know how many shoes he has? Or that he collects rocks and can sew? Why do I know more about Chuckie Finster than I do about the guy I actually am crushing on...Chaaaaad." Angelica batted her eyes and smiled widely before she then frowned, groaned, and fell back to the bed. "Chad is perfect. He's athletic, dreamy, and has a voice like velvet. Chuckie Finster has a voice like a hamster with asthma."

"Chuckie Finster can't handle dodgeball." She stated, though then trailed off, "Though he sure can run. Maybe track and field is in his future." She shook her head then as if to shake the very thoughts from her cranium. Though she then said, "And he's got no fashion sense... " soon she contradicted herself, "...but he isn't unattractive..."

Angelica then beat herself in the head with her own pillow repeatedly. "I...do...not...like...CHUCKIE...FINSTER!"

The pillow was dropped and it rolled off the side of the bed to the ground. Cynthia was dropped then as well. Several minutes pass in complete silence before Angelica sat up. Her eyes were sad and her head hung downwards. She placed her hands over her face and wept.

"I like Chuckie Finster."


	9. Chapter 9

The bell rang and the hallways were crowded. The group of preteen rugrats walked down the hall. They laughed at something that Phil said, and teased Tommy about not getting his assignment done for Biology because he forgot which day it was assigned. Chuckie then spotted Angelica talking to her friends. Seeing as they were getting along okay, Chuckie thought maybe he could ask her about the paper due. "I'll be right back. I need to ask Angelica something."

Chuckie made his way over to Angelica and said, "Hey, Angelica." All conversation stopped and he froze, giving an awkward laugh. All of her friends gave him that look that was often given when a sickly animal tried to get into the pack just before it was attacked.

"Did you actually just talk to me?" Angelica's voice was thick with disdain. She turned to him, her bracelet bangled hands on her hips. Her friends frowned, looking completely put out at Chuckie's appearance. "This better be good."

Chuckie rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I was just wondering when would be a good time to get together to write that paper for Dynamics For Living?"

Someone said a snide remark that Chuckie couldn't hear but knew it wasn't good. This was confirmed by the snicker the comment got. "Finster Finster Finster. This is how it is going to go. You are going to write that paper all by yourself. You are going to mention what a wonderful, fantastic, perfect mother I was. Then you are going to turn it in and go back to your sad little group of preteens."

Chuckie frowned. He knew the rest of it. "And you want me to write your paper too."

"You aren't as dumb as you look. Now get out of here, Finster. You don't know how close to death you are if you get even a tiny, dweeb hair on my new purse." She lifted her head and then dramatically spun around to talk about the new Emica CD that was coming out.

Without another word, Chuckie turned away. He met back with his friends who had seen the whole thing. Tommy felt especially sorry for the guy, given what he knew-or thought he knew-about the situation.

"I thought you said you were getting along better." Lil commented.

"She was laying it on pretty thick that time." Phil added.

"Sorry, Buddy." Tommy said, putting a hand on Chuckie's shoulder.

"You don't have a reason to be sorry. Come on, let's get to class." Chuckie replied. He was not surprised, but still a little disappointed in Angelica's reaction. He'd been a fool to think that anything had really changed.

The rest of the day, Angelica really made it a point to pick on Chuckie. Whenever they walked by him in the hall, she'd make a remark that made everyone laugh. At Dynamics for Living class she made sure to mention really loud about how well she was doing despite her loser of a partner. Chuckie sank in his chair, which made Angelica smile. Susie, though, was angry.

"I thought you said that Chuckie was a good dad."

"Oh, please, Susie. He can barely take care of himself. He can't take care of a child too."

Susie just grumbled. "You are meaner than mean, Angelica."

Angelica just smiled. Her plan was going perfectly. No one would ever think that she had any feelings for Finster other than complete and total dispair. Susie shook her head and the teacher began class.

It was the same for lunch. Angelica took a muffin that Chuckie wanted, took one bite out of it, and threw it in the trash. She then waved, giving him an evil smile before walking off with her friends Savannah and Brianna. Chuckie had the doll now, and he'd had all day since Angelica thrust it at him during gym. She had completely ignored their agreed upon schedule and was back to how she was the first day.

Chuckie didn't say a thing about it. Tomorrow would be the last day anyway.

Angelica was humming as she came home, but as soon as the door shut behind her, the humming stopped. It was exhausting being even more cruel than usual. And, for once, she didn't feel really good about doing it either. It was that obnoxious little pang in her chest that she only felt once in awhile-a conscience. Things were so much easier when you actually didn't care about stuff.

"This growing up stuff sucks!" Angelica said, dropping her bags on the ground.

"Did you say something, Honey?" called Charlotte Pickles from the other room. Her mother was home. Angelica quickly found her at her office desk, on the phone as usual.

"Mom, can I ask you something? Something about boys." She asked, putting on the innocent, sweet voice that she always used with her mother.

"Boys? Hold on Princess." Charlotte Pickles turned to the bluetooth at her ear. "Jonathan, I'll call you back. Remember, hold fast on the offer. Accept no less. No mercy." She hung up and then swiveled her office chair to her daughter. "My little girl is growing up so fast. What do you need to know about boys, Sweetheart?"

"Well..." Who would know better than her mother-the beautiful, powerful, throat-cutting Charlotte Pickles? "Let's say that you are a beautiful, popular, and sought after. You have only the trendiest clothes, the best hair, the latest accessories. All the coolest, most popular boys like you."

"I'm not seeing the problem yet, Hon." And of course, Charlotte Pickles wouldn't imagine her Angelica was anything less than all those things. Spoiled brat too, she'd also add, but she'd add it with all the love in her heart.

Angelica fidgetted. "Let's say that you kind of, sort of, like... but just a teeny weeny itty bitty bit...a complete and total nerd."

"Uh huh." Charlotte said simply.

"I thought I'd ask you because I know you were so perfect in high school. Head cheerleader, homecoming queen..."

"Say no more. All true, Honey." Charlotte said, briefly smiling as she relived her glory days in her mind. She looked at her daughter's expectant face and then patted her shoulder. "Wait here." Charlotte disappeared into the bedroom only to come out moments later with an old yearbook. She turned pages until she got to the football pages. "Ah, here I am at the top of the pyramid. Even then I always wanted to be at the top. Here I am again at the homecoming dance. See that hunk I'm with? That's Henry Rydell."

"Ooooh, he's cute, Mom!" Angelica grinned, admiring her mother's taste, which she was seeing wasn't unlike her own.

"He's a plumber in Arkansas. Gained seventy five pounds. He only passed History because he cheated off me." Charlotte turned a few more pages and then pointed to a picture. "Here I am at prom."

"Ewwwwww." Angelica made a face of disgust as she saw her mother's date. "Who is that dork with the freaky hair and the retainer?"

"Read the caption, Sweetie."

Angelica's eyes perused the caption and she took a quick breath. "Andrew Pickles."

"Your father."

Angelica looked up at her mother with surprise, horror, and confusion. Angelica worshipped her daddy and never once thought of him as anything less than cool. After all, her mother would never settle for less than the best. But, there it was in plain sight right in front of her. Her father was a nerd.

As Angelica let that sink in, Charlotte rose to put back the yearbook. "I hope that answers your question, Princess." Then Charlotte got back on her phone, leaving Angelica in total dismay. It answered her question, but it still didn't tell her what to do about it.


	10. Chapter 10

"Finster, are you going to help me with this paper or not?"

Chuckie looked up from his notebook and pen to see Angelica Pickles walking towards him. He blinked. She had been purposefully avoiding him all day and as a result, he had Angel all day and all night. He'd gotten little sleep, which could be seen in the dark circles under his eyes. Now he was using his free time in the empty study hall to write his Dynamics For Living paper due the next day.

"You don't want me to write it for you?" Chuckie asked, suspiciously. Angelica had been acting really weird. She'd gone from insultingly cruel yesterday to just ignoring him today. It was strange even for Angelica.

"Eh." Angelica waved her hand. "I thought about it, and I realized that no one would believe that I wrote it myself if you did write it." She then tossed a paper in front of him. "So proofread."

Chuckie set down his pen and then picked up the paper. The first thing he caught right away was, "Angel Finster. You gave her my last name."

"Well, yeah, you did a decent job being a partner. I mean, I could have done worse, like Jeffrey or something. Besides, Pickles is a horrible last name and...okay, okay, you don't have to beat it out of me! You were a good dad." Angelica slumped as if it had taken a lot out of her to confess that.

Chuckie just smiled. "Thanks, Angelica."

"Don't read into it. Just...read." She muttered.

"The thing you learned most is that you want to hire a nanny?" He arched a brow as he looked to her through his rectangle framed lenses.

"Don't tell me you didn't think about it once all week."

Chuckie then chuckled. "I did, actually." When he set back to the paper, he didn't notice Angelica's tiny smile. Finally he finished it. "It's pretty good, Angelica."

"Think it will get a good grade?"

"I'd give you a good grade." Chuckie said.

Angelica then grabbed the paper from him. She turned to leave and then turned back around. "Since we are turning her in tomorrow, I don't know what I am going to do with all this useless baby stuff."

"You could give it to charity. There are always new moms who need things but can't afford it."

Angelica made a face. "Give a brand new Vespucci to charity?"

"It'll be out of style in a few months." Chuckie remarked.

"All right, charity it is! Besides, it'll look great on a scholarship application in the future." Angelica turned around again to leave but found herself stopping again. The study hall was quiet and at just the right moment, the teacher assigned to the room stepped out, leaving the two of them alone. She turned back and walked over to Chuckie, sitting on the edge of the desk. Chuckie looked up quizzically.

"Hey, Finster, did you ever get that first kiss?"

"Umm..." Chuckie's face blushed a bright red, hiding even his freckles. Where was this going? Was she going to torture him about that? "Uh, no." He braced himself. The onslaught would begin.

"Good." Angelica then grabbed his top sweater in her fist and pulled him forward, making him have to stand from his chair. Angelica's eyes closed and her lips puckered as she leaned into, and then captured, his.

Chuckie's eyes remained open. Wide open. His entire body stiffened as if he expected her to poison him. Then, as her soft lips touched his, a tingling sensation spread throughout his body from his lips, to his fingers, and then down to his toes. Chuckie suddenly felt very warm, but not embarrassingly warm. This was a different warmth-a burning warmth. His mind was in complete disbelief that this was even happening, but his body betrayed him and responded to the seductive temptation of the kiss. A kiss from...Angelica?

Her lips were like rose petals. She smelled like strawberry and some sort of flower that Chuckie was sure he was allergic to. The grip on his shirt loosened and he found himself no longer stiff, but instead leaning into the kiss. Chuckie's eyes began to close as his heartbeat pounded in his chest and in his ears.

Angelica pulled away then, ending the contact that seemed like an eternity, and yet was all too brief. Chuckie felt his knees start to buckle. He fell back into his chair, unable to support his own weight. The room was now several degrees hotter. He shouldn't have worn a fourth sweater.

Then there were bells. Bells were ringing! Kimi was right, you did hear bells! No, wait. That was just the school bell.

"I'll take Angel right after cheerleading practice. Then I'll turn her in tomorrow. Later, Finster." Angelica hopped off the desk, looking completely unaffected herself, but inside feeling a sense of pride in how she had Finster wrapped around her little finger. There was one man who could never deny her. Man being a very loose term, of course. Very loose. Very very loose. The kiss hadn't been so bad either.

"Um...uh...uhh..."

"Don't strain yourself, Chuck." Angelica remarked. She turned away, but that was so that he couldn't see her smile. "And you tell anyone, I'll kill you where you stand, got it?"

"Ummm...uh..."

She didn't wait for an answer. She was already out the door. Chuckie Finster looked down at his paper and then to the door. The next class would be piling in soon. He'd have to get up, but he couldn't move.

Chuckie looked to the stroller and the plastic doll beside him again.

"What just happened?"


End file.
